"Ejiri"

August 1854

Located near the station of Ejiri along the To_kaido_ Road is one of Japan's great scenic views: Mount Fuji seen from Miho-no-matsubara, a sandy shore grown with pine trees, here shown by Hiroshige in the lower half of the print. According to legend, a fisherman once found a beautiful feathered robe hanging from the branches of one of the pine trees. Later, a celestial maiden appeared to him and pleaded for the robe, as she could not fly to the heavens without it. Moved by her tears, the fisherman returned the robe to her. This story came to be performed on the Noh stage, and performances culminate in the maiden's grateful dance before the fisherman. Here, Kunisada illustrates the maiden as she flies heavenward over Miho-no-matsubara.